Recently I have been dropping her to college and picking her up when she gets done. In the beginning, she would go by herself. I would kiss her and wish her a good day when she leaves. As she speeds past the apartment premises into the by-lane I rush to our bedroom and look at her go. I follow her as far as I can see. Whenever I needed the scooter I would drop her off and come back. When she rings me up I go and pick her up. She mostly gets done by four. There are days when she becomes free early. We make quick plans to have lunch at a restaurant.

It's gonna be half past two. I tighten the backpack and drive away. This is new to me. I have been doing quite a lot of new things today, things I probably wouldn’t have done on any other day.

Nothing has changed in these couple of hours on our colony road. It is just like how it was in the morning. I reach Pongumoodu junction in a jiffy. Out of habit I slow down at the junction and look for any incoming traffic. There is none. I throttle up when I realize this. I have always wished for empty roads. I really don’t like traffic. Now I hope that my wish hasn’t come true. The enormity and stupidity of my wish strike me. It is a really stupid one. Can I wish to have traffic as it was before? Will that work?

Somewhere midway between Pongumoodu and Ulloor, there used to be a fruit seller. He would load up his pickup auto with a single fruit and sell them at an attractive price. He was selling black grapes when I first approached him. They were really delicious. We made juice out of it. It was so tasty even without adding a single spoonful of sugar. By the time we were down with the grapes, he had switched to lemons. Last week he was selling green grapes. I bought it while returning with her.

As I pass the area I look for him. I know he will not be there. Still, I hoped he would have driven down from wherever he stayed with some fruit. The thought isn’t logical at all. If he is alive he would have been subjected to all that I have gone through in the morning. Selling fruits wouldn’t be his priority.

If there are any survivors out there and if they have come to realize what has happened, they would be going through the same mental and emotional upheaval I am going through. The degree of it will vary from person to person. I hope they don't succumb to it. I hope they stay strong and decide to come out and figure out what is happening. Only then will there be any chance for either of us to meet anyone. Sitting idle will not do anyone any good.

I reach Ulloor junction and take the free left leading to Kesavadasapuram. A couple of seconds in, I see two cars that have rammed against each other in the middle of the road. Their collision has left one occupying my side of the road almost completely. There is space on the far left through which I can squeeze in. But there is ample space on the other side of the road. I take that. I slow down to have a look at the cars. I know how it is going to be inside them, so I decide not to get out and look inside.

There is a small bridge after which the road widens and takes a banking curve. They have included dividers here for safety. There is a takeaway place just after I cross the bridge. We had visited it once to buy fried chicken. She loves fried chicken. We used to order food from them. It was tasty. One day, when the Covid cases were low and restrictions were reduced, we decided to go and dine in. On seeing it we realize it to be a takeaway.

The food delivery business has grown exponentially in the past few years. Even a small kitchen making a couple of dishes can have a booming business by taking only online orders. The traditional concept of a restaurant has gone away. Also, the pandemic has forced us to sit at home and order in. Food is literally at our fingertips.

I take the banking right curve at a good speed. A bike has driven off the road into the pavement and lies on the entry to a shop. It is an old bike, an RX-100.

A year into our jobs, one of my colleagues bought a Royal Enfield Bullet. He took it for rides that lasted weeks. It was also the time when a road trip-themed movie was released in our native language. It gained critical acclaim from the young generation. What followed next was a rise in sales of Enfield bikes. Everyone wanted to strap their bags, wear their riding boots and jackets, fasten their helmets and be on the road. It was the time when technology was making it easier to realize this dream. Google maps was fully functional. The Internet was good and at your fingertips. Everything you wanted for a road trip was available to you. If not then all you needed to do was spend a few minutes online, looking for an alternative. Solutions were that easy.

I wanted to buy an Enfield. But I knew it would remain in the garage unused. My work wouldn’t allow me to take it out for long rides. Also, I had my Activa. We were staying in Kottayam at that time, right in the heart of the city. I preferred using Activa to navigate the rush of the city and get my work done. For this sole reason, I hesitated to buy one.

The fad slowly changed to owning a vintage bike like the crashed one. RX-100 is synonymous with it. I asked a few local colleagues to enquire about it. A couple of months later one of them came with an offer. There was an RX-100 for sale. It was priced decently. Since I was working in a different state and wanted to buy it to use in my state, the whole process of changing the registration bugged me. If I were to use the bike occasionally, then this wouldn’t be a problem. But I wanted to use it as much as I can. I contemplated this for a while. I dropped the idea. I realized that the need for a bike was brought about by my peers. Seeing them with their bikes going for rides is what made me think of buying one. I really didn’t need it. I was happy with my Activa.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Since then, whenever a thought arises in my head about buying a bike on seeing a new model out on the road, I sit on it for some days. By then the thought diffuses. Currently, I have her scooter. This is more than enough for me. I want to buy a bike in the future though. Probably after a change in my current assignment. She has expressed her desire to cling to me on a bike on a long ride. That desire is something I want to experience. I have my eyes on a bike for now. I will wait for the right time to buy it - when I feel like I will be using it more often and not letting it rust away.

I take the banking left turn that follows the previous one. It ends in an incline and the entrance to the popular pizza joint. I have already told you how she acquired a taste for pizza. I had once ordered a pizza and some garlic bread from here. It turned out that she liked the garlic bread more than the pizza. She finished it and left the pizza for me. The next time, we ordered the cheesy version of the garlic bread. I became a fan of it. We occasionally come here to have their garlic bread.

Similarly, there is another restaurant just a few meters ahead of this pizza place. It is a famous brand in another city. They began expanding their outlets in the state. They are known for their biriyanis. People flock here to eat the biriyani. When it was opened to great fanfare, the place was full for the next few week's lunches. I have been here with her and her colleagues for a meal after the afternoon rush. They still had their biriyanis ready, but we took to ordering other dishes from their menu. Anna had brought me a pastry from here before that outing. It was really delicious. I yearned to have more. It was one of the reasons that prompted us to visit it. When it came to ordering the dessert, I ordered the pastry. I remember how she stared at me as I found bliss in the dessert. She didn’t have much. Instead, she urged me to finish it. She said she was happy and found bliss in watching me eat. I laughed heartily and continued with the dessert.

I will be reminded of her when I come across places where we have been together. There is a piece of memory attached to it. This would have remained dormant on any other day. Under the current circumstances, they are surfacing one after the other. There is a sudden urge to have her behind me right now. The way she leans on to my back from time to time or how she holds onto me tightly, the conversations we have, they all rush to me. I have cherished those moments whenever they have occurred. I feel they weren’t enough. My speed decreases as these thoughts come to me. I slow down to a halt on the side. My eyes are wet.

I try calming myself. I realize I will need some time. I look up ahead. A pickup has crashed badly into a wall diagonally opposite to where I stand. A couple of sacks have fallen on the road from it. One of them lies torn, its contents spilled out on the road. Onions. I drive to it and get out to check it. The pickup contains sacks full of onions. The vehicle must have been speeding when it hit the wall. The front is completely gone. I look inside the cabin through the windowpane. The dashboard is damaged. The steering is bent. There is nothing inside indicating the presence of a wounded human. I get back to my scooter.

I am about to reach Kesavadasapuram Junction. Just before that a car lies crashed on my side of the road. It has climbed up the pavement and destroyed the railings. There is a juice shop here that I have always wanted to visit. I don't know why it attracted me. I can go there if I want to but I haven’t. I guess it was a passing fantasy.

There is a huge tree in the middle of the road. The road is built around it. Then comes the roundabout. This tree has become an integral part of the landscape. I can't imagine this junction without it. There were a few instances in the city where they were felling old trees. I couldn’t understand the reason behind the decision but I guess there must have been a solid one. They were protests against it but the government went ahead with its decision. They were pretty old trees.

I am fascinated by old trees. I love to go around them and marvel at their vastness. Once when I had gone for a forest trek in the ghats, I was enthralled by all the huge trees I came across. They are tall and wide. Their wide trunks couldn’t be hugged by a single person. I had experienced it previously in the Himalayan forests. Again it was with a trekking group. As we were finishing our trek, we came across huge pine trees. Our trek leader instructed us to hug them for a while. I did what he said. It was a pleasant experience. The vastness of the tree took hold of me. I kind of felt insignificant in front of it. As I hugged, I felt a peace come upon me. This was new to me. We all stayed like this for close to five minutes. The only sound in the vicinity was that of the birds and the wind blowing gently off the leaves of the tree. No wonder trees have been an important part of our history and myths. They were the epicenters of learning and action. They are worshiped and revered.

I told her how we should plant trees for future generations. Even though we will not be able to see them in their vastness, our kids and their grandkids will be able to revel in it. She asked me if they would be up for it. I said we should raise them as such. They should be one with nature and know its importance in our daily lives. They should climb trees, fall from them, pluck their fruits and eat them raw. They should play hide and seek amidst them, run around and feel at home among them. She was onboard on seeing my enthusiasm. We did make a plan of sorts.

I look at the tree as I pass it. I observe it much more than ever. For the first time, I see it in all its glory. It is beautiful. If only we could do this in our day-to-day lives. Maybe we can, but we subconsciously opt not to.